(Paramount)
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(AP)
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In a tragic example of life imitating art, “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn was killed yesterday in a blazing Pennsylvania car wreck that cops believe was the result of “excessive speed.”
Dunn, 34, and passenger Zachary Hartwell, 30, died when the star lost control of his 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 and slammed into a tree at about 2:30 a.m. yesterday just miles from their West Chester, Pa., homes, cops said.
The car was found “in the woods, fully engulfed in flames,” according to the police report.
The goofy, bearded Dunn shot to fame as part of MTV’s controversial crew of daredevils known for dumb and dangerous stunts.
He was most recently seen in last year’s hit film “Jackass 3D” being blasted out of an easy chair by a jumbo-jet engine.
Dunn performed cringe-inducing stunts ranging from driving a limousine filled with thousands of bees to jumping onto the roof of a speeding car as it passed him on the street.
The notorious TV show debuted in 2000 and aired for two seasons on MTV. It has spawned three feature films — and countless amateur imitators, some of whom have been seriously hurt or killed.
Critics routinely slam “Jackass” stars for being irresponsible both on and off camera, and Dunn’s death has proven to be no exception: Hours before the crash, he posted photos of himself online drinking with pals.
The pictures sparked outrage on Twitter against drunken driving, although cops have not said alcohol was a factor in the crash.
“Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive,” film critic Roger Ebert tweeted.
Dunn’s “Jackass” buddies, including creator Johnny Knoxville, were stunned. They said in a statement the crew had “lost one of our own. Our brother Ryan Dunn has passed . . . Goddamn, that’s tough to write.”
In a gut-wrenching twist, Dunn was on the cusp of moving past “Jackass,” and was successfully launching a solo career with a new show.
His new series, “Proving Ground,” debuted just last week.
The show, on cable’s G4 network, featured Dunn and co-host Jessica Chobot attempting to recreate stunts seen in video games and movies to see if they’d work in real life.
The network has taken the show off the air while it determines what to do with the series. Nine episodes had been taped.